A Different Manticore
by Just as it is
Summary: <html><head></head>What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. Better summary inside.</html>
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or Twilight

Summary: What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. X5-481, Bella, is the first to try out a new regiment where soldiers are free to be outside of the facility but they must still perform their duties as a soldier (go on missions). PS None of the bad encounters with Lydecker happened (Prodigy and Cold Comfort did happen).

_**Chapter 1: Meet X5-481**_

X5-481 has lived all of the 16 years of her life in a covert government facility known as Manticore. For the first six years of her life she lived with those she called her brothers and sisters in Unit 2 but was separated from them because of her emotional attachment to them; she was too emotionally attached to function like a proper soldier.

Her family had escaped the facility a week after she was separated from them and now all she had left of them were her memories, a picture of the Blue Lady and the name by which she was called by her family: Bella. She wasn't alone though, she made many new friends specifically her CO and best friend, X5-494, or as she christened him, Alec.

Bella was happy with her life, satisfied, especially since her siblings Brin and Zack were now back at Manticore. Of course as she'd never lived outside, she didn't really know what she was missing.

* * *

><p>Bella was currently on the mat sparring with a fellow X5. She executed a perfect back leg sidekick straight to X5-679's solar plexus effectively knocking the wind out of him as he fell backwards on his back and making her the winner of the spar.<p>

"679, that's three times in a row that you've lost a match. You better shape up or you'll be spending some time in solitary," their drill instructor barked out.

679 got up and stood up straight, stiff as a board, ignoring the pain in his chest and saluted the drill instructor saying, "I understand sir. I will perform better sir."

"742 you're on the mat against 679," continued the drill instructor not even acknowledging the X5's words.

Bella stared at their drill instructor with an emotionless face, though she was raging with anger and disbelief inside. The conditions had improved greatly over the years but there were still those who acted like it was before Lydecker's reform, such as this drill instructor. The DI knew that there was no way that 679 could beat 742 especially after the beating she had given him plus 742 hated 679, the reason to which eluded her. 742 wasn't going to be pulling the fight to prevent 679 from getting into solitary that's for sure. Sure 679 was a good fighter and would have had a chance to beat 742 but only if he were well rested which was currently not the case

"What are you looking at 481? Back in the circle!"

Bella's gaze lingered on the hateful man a second longer before turning away and taking her place in the circle of X5's around the sparring mat. Beside her Alec gave a comforting look which she saw with her peripherals and let a tiny smile show letting her friend know she appreciated his gesture. Her best friend knew that she was more emotionally attached to others than most transgenics and always knew when to make her feel better.

The fight went as expected. Though 679 fought his hardest he was overpowered by 742, who was in perfect condition while 679 was not; he had after all fought Bella, one of the strongest transgenics in the facility. The outcome was already decided when their designations were called out by the DI.

"I'm disappointed 679. Solitary!" The X5 saluted before escorting himself to solitary. Bella had to stop herself from glaring at the DI; this treatment was overrated and totally unfair. She swore that the man had something against 679 to deliberately put him in solitary when he didn't deserve it.

"481," the DI called out her designation.

"Sir," Bella said standing to attention.

"You're to report to Colonel Lydecker's office immediately. Everyone else, you are dismissed for lunch."

When the DI walked off everyone began to chatter amongst each other while heading inside the Manticore facility (their sparring sessions were performed outside).

"That DI was a bastard," 511, or Biggs, said once he was out of hearing range.

"Tell me about it, I wanted to pummel the DI for what he did to Jake (679)," Bella said her fingers curling up to form a fist remembering her anger.

"He deserved what he got," Derek (742) said.

"Have you forgotten what Manticore taught us about loyalty? Never abandon your unit," Zack growled as he grabbed Derek's shoulder and held him in place.

Derek pulled away from Zack with a glare, "Don't touch me 09er."

"What did you say?" Brin stepped next to Zack, now both intimidating the other X5.

"Whatever," Derek mumbled knowing this time around no one was coming to his aid.

"Chicken shit," Alec mumbled beside Bella so that only she, Biggs, Zack and Brin could hear his words. Bella, and Brin stifled a laugh while Biggs didn't bother and roared with laughter (Zack was ever the stoic one, but he did look amused). Derek looked at them suspiciously but didn't want to start a fight with the best soldiers in Manticore and so said nothing.

Once inside the building Bella turned to her friends and family, and gave them a smile, "I'll see you at the end of lunch or during the field exercise depending on how long this meeting takes."

"Don't forget to rat on that DI's ass Bells!" Biggs said as Bella walked in the opposite direction as them.

"Will do Biggs."

She walked to Lydecker's office and when she entered she saw him sitting in his chair on his laptop. She immediately stood to attention and said, "X5-481 reporting for duty Sir."

"At ease 481. Before I begin, I want to ask how you've been," Lydecker took off his reading glasses and stood up from his seat to stand in front of Bella leaning on his desk. The first time Lydecker asked how she'd been, Bella was openmouthed in shock, but now she'd gotten used to it because he'd done it to all the transgenics for going on 4 years now.

"Fine sir, but the DI in charge of the sparring session for Units 6 and 7 today acted unfairly towards 679 which ended in 679 being sent to solitary." There, hopefully that will get him fired or suspended, either way Jake was getting out of solitary.

Lydecker raised a brow but nodded, "I'll look into it. Anything else?"

"No sir."

"Well then, let's start shall we? You will be the first to go on a program I proposed to the board of directors a few months ago which was just approved," Lydecker stopped and looked at Bella in the eyes to see if she had any questions. She did but did not let it show on her face so Lydecker continued.

"I want soldiers to have the choice to live outside, once they're of appropriate age, while still remaining in contact with Manticore to receive and perform their missions." Now this was a shock…

"You will be the first soldier on this program. I want to make it very clear to you that if you abandon Manticore, the board of directors will see this as program as a failure and Manticore will have much stricter regiments put into place. You know what this means don't you?"

Bella nodded her head seriously before saying, "Sir, yes sir!" Like hell she was going to let the stupid board re-instate the torture which used to be a part of re-indoctrination and allow Psy-Ops to have their way with her friends. Sure she had friends in Psy-Ops and they were great spies, but they should not be allowed to mess with someone's mind unless for a mission or a medical condition.

A smile appeared on Lydecker's face before continuing, "I chose you because I thought you would benefit from this program the most. Understand?"

"I appreciate it sir." Bella had to use all of her will power to keep her Manticore mask on; she wanted to jump up with joy but figured it was not apt behaviour for a soldier like her.

"Do you have any questions?"

Bella thought over the information for a split second before asking, "Will I be allowed to visit Manticore?"

"Of course, though when you visit you cannot disrupt the exercises in session. Also, every month you must come back for three days to ensure you're keeping up with your training."

"That's my only question sir."

"Good, do you accept being the test run for this program?"

"Sir yes sir!" Bella was so excited. She couldn't wait to see her family again… especially Ben. She's always had a special connection to Ben…

"Excellent. Before you're dismissed, you are aware of the fact that the search for the Unit 2 escapees has been put to an end?" after a nod from Bella Lydecker continued. "Well I have just received Intel that X5-493 has been killing ex-cons and then pulling their teeth out afterwards. I need you to stop this 481. You will design the mission parameters and will decide what needs to be done with 493. Anything you require you will receive. Here's all the information I have," Lydecker said holding out a manila folder.

Bella's heart skipped a beat when she heard of what Ben was doing… Her heart reached out to him. She took the folder and looked over it committing everything to memory, not that she had any problems due to her perfect eidetic memory, and planned her strategy. She nodded determinedly knowing what she needed to do and said confidently, "I will deal with the situation myself sir."

Lydecker nodded for the last time during their meeting and said, "You are dismissed and free to leave the facility 481. Here is your pass which will allow you to pass through any sector checks unquestioned and will allow you to visit Manticore. You're motorcycle is where you left it and don't forget your cell."

"Thank-you sir," Bella said as she accepted the pass which had her picture on it and her status as a militant. She then saluted the colonel before turning to leave.

"Can I tell anyone of my situation sir?" the thought just crossed her just as she was about to leave Lydecker's office.

"I would say no but I know it would be useless." Bella smirked, Lydecker knew her well.

"Good day sir," Bella said before finally leaving the office.

She walked towards the mess hall after checking her digital watch to see that lunch hour still had not ended. She hurried knowing that she did not have much time, not only until lunch ended but also to stop Ben from killing again. Once in the mess hall she looked for Alec, Biggs, her sister Brin, and her brother Zack; the last two having returned to Manticore in the last couple of months

"How'd the meeting go Bells?" Alec greeted as she sat down at the table.

"I don't have much time…" she began as she proceeded to explain the entire situation to her trusted friends and family, though she left out the bit about Ben being a serial killer and told them that he was in danger.

"Wow… so we'll really be allowed outside," Brin was in awe as Bella finished her tale.

"This is…unreal," Zack having the same reaction as Brin

Brin had been extremely surprised with Manticore when she was brought back to treat her Progeria, but had adjusted quickly, while Zack had been brought back unceremoniously when he killed a militant and had more trouble believing it. After seeing the change first hand they couldn't really deny it any longer but sometimes they both still couldn't believe that Manticore could actually be a humane place to be in.

"If this trial run goes well then yes everyone at the appropriate age will be able to live outside. I'll ensure its success; I don't abandon my friends and family," Bella said sincerely. Her siblings winced since her comment reminded her of the fact that they had escaped without her but a look from Bella set her straight.

"Dang Bells, whose ass am I going to admire with you gone?" Biggs said relieving the tension between Bella and her family. Bella laughed the comment off while slapping the upside of his head.

"We all know whose ass you're really after Biggs." Bella looked across the mess hall and looked pointedly at a blond X5 named Cece sitting at another table.

"Whatever Bells," Biggs brushed the comment off but the group knew that Bella touched a nerve.

"Hehe, well Bells, I know that you're going to miss me and I gotta say, the feeling's mutual. Who's going to tease Biggs with me? You better call every night to check in. I'm still your CO even when you're off the facility," Alec said after he finished laughing at Biggs.

"Will do sir!" Bella said mockingly knowing that Alec hated being referred to as sir when they were anywhere informal. The frown on his face disappeared though when she gave him a hug and whispered into his ear, "I love you Bro."

"Alright, alright! Get off me! You're ruining my reputation," Alec complained but he didn't fool anyone since he couldn't hide the huge grin on his face. Through his tough guy, selfish attitude there laid a big softie; he only let in his most trusted and Bella was one of those privileged that he trusted with his life.

"Hey, what about your ex CO and big brother here, don't tell me I've been replaced?" Zack joked, though his words did convey his belief when he first came back to Manticore.

"No one could ever replace you Zack," Bella gave him a big hug which was reciprocated unlike the one with Alec. She let go of him and stood up looking at the others.

"Well this is it, I'll see you guys on the other side," Bella said using her usual sign off before look at the room wanting to remember the place she'd called home for 16 years (well technically 10 since it was hell for the first 6).

"Give Ben our greetings and if you see Max, tell her not to blame herself for what happened to me and Zack," Brin said.

Bella nodded and then gave Brin and Biggs a hug before leaving for her cell to get her personal belongings such as her cell phone. After that she headed to the garage where all of the transgenics' personal vehicles were kept, took the keys for her sleek, midnight blue and black Suzuki GSX-R 600 motorcycle from the key rack and then headed for her ride. After ensuring everything was strapped on correctly she headed out of the garage and then out of Manticore facility heading for the woods near Seattle which was the place that Ben was supposedly at.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: So that's the first chapter... I've had this sitting on my computer for a while now, so I thought I would post it. There aren't a lot of Dark Angel crossovers so I wonder how this will be received.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or Twilight

Summary: What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. X5-481, Bella, is the first to try out a new regiment where soldiers are free to be outside of the facility but they must still perform their duties as a soldier (go on missions). PS None of the bad encounters with Lydecker happened (Prodigy and Cold Comfort did happen).

_**Chapter 2: Siblings Reunited**_

Bella's desire… no… need to reunite with Ben cut the travel time from 1 and a half hours to only 1 hour as she exceeded the speed limit extensively. Once at the edge of the woods closest to the factory where Lydecker put Ben last, she parked her bike at the edge of the road covering it with foliage before heading out on foot. She had the necessary equipment to subdue Ben: rope and a couple of daggers, as well as a first aid kit. She didn't bring a gun with her not wanting to incapacitate her friend.

The forest was dense and damp making it hard to make out any sounds but Bella listened well as she ran in case that Ben had decided to leave the factory to kill again. It was a good thing that she did because about 800 meters away from the factory she heard voices. She changed her direction accordingly and upped her pace to a run, fast for normal humans but a suitable pace for transgenics; she wanted to ensure that she had enough energy to fight off Ben if he didn't recognize her or simply was not in the right state of mind to care.

Bella got closer and closer to the voices and soon enough she could make out words.

"We can let him go. We can find someone better," a girl said, trying to reason with the other person, probably Ben. Bella wondered who this girl was.

"No. This is for you Maxie, so you can finally understand what it is I'm doing." That was definitely Ben, but who was Maxie? Could it be possible… was it Max from her previous unit, her sister Max? Then she heard fighting…

Bella pushed herself to the limit wanting desperately to see her loved ones again and also to stop them from hurting each other. When she finally caught sight of her fellow transgenics she saw them in a face off waiting to counter or make the next move. There was no way she could let the fight go any further; she already saw the makings of a bruise on Ben's jaw and Max's arm, so she made her presence known by yelling, "Max! Ben! Stop, please don't fight anymore!"

She saw the two become startled by her voice and saw that Ben was about to use the distraction to punch Max in the jaw but Bella rushed in to stop it. She blurred and twisted his arm and then placed him in a hold before saying, "Ben it's me Bella! Please stop this." She was desperate for him to see reason and it could be heard in her voice.

"Bella? It's really you? This isn't a dream?" Ben stopped struggling when he heard Bella's name. The two were particularly close back when they were kids, always having each other's backs. There was no way that they could intentionally hurt each other, even after not seeing one another for 10 years.

"Yeah, it's me," Bella said softly as she let Ben go. She then turned around and swept away her waist long mahogany hair exposing her barcode to Max and Ben.

"Bella… I thought they killed you when you were taken away…"Max croaked out stepping forward to give Bella a hug. "We would have never left if we knew you were still alive."

"I know… I know," Bella said hugging her elder sister tightly. She let go only to be engulfed in another hug by Ben. Once the reunion was complete the questions came…

"What are you doing here Bella? Not that I'm complaining," Max asked curiously.

"Do you trust me?" Bella asked remembering what Brin and Zack thought about Manticore before they were taken back. She didn't want to lose her family just when she found them again.

"Of course we do Bella," Ben immediately answered, while Max nodded after a few seconds of consideration.

"Ok… I was given a mission to stop Ben from killing again," Bella said slowly. She awaited the suspicion that would immediately follow her words.

"A mission…? From Manticore!" Max exclaimed. She immediately blurred and pushed Bella into a nearby tree and then holding her up against it.

"Yeah, bu...t I'm alone a...nd my orders were n...ot to take him ba...ck to Mantic...ore," Bella rasped out finding it hard to talk with her face pressed against the tree.

"Let Bella go Max," Ben said harshly. At first it seemed like Max didn't listen, but a couple of seconds later Bella was let go from Max's hold.

"Talk now," Max ordered coldly and Bella did just that.

She explained how after Unit 2's escape Lydecker or the board of directors didn't want a repeat of that ever again and how somehow (Bella didn't know how) Lydecker actually gained a heart and changed Manticore's regulations. She talked about how different and much more humane Manticore had become and how the board of directors called of the search for Unit 2's escapees because they were laying low and didn't want to spend any more money on them. Then she continued on to explain her situation and the new program Lydecker was trying out as well as her mission concerning Ben. After she was finished her story, both Max and Ben stared at her incredulously.

"Baby girl, are you sure that we're talking about the same Manticore?" Ben asked. Bella smiled at the use of the term of endearment he used back at Manticore then frowned when he didn't believe her.

"Yeah, I have trouble believing that Manticore stopped cranking out the perfect soldiers," Max added.

Bella shook her head apparently not getting her message across correctly. "They're still about making the perfect soldiers Max, just more humane about it. They actually care about their soldiers now. They took away the brainwashing in re-indoctrination and stopped using Psy-Ops to get information out of their soldiers forcefully."

"It still sounds like a very farfetched idea to me," Max said still not quite believing what Bella said about Manticore.

"Think about it sis. When's the last time that Manticore TAC teams actually tried to apprehend you, or you Ben?" Bella asked, trying out a different tactic.

"At the base when Brin was captured and was about to be sold and when they took in Zack after they tried getting me," Max said triumphantly.

"Did they actually try to apprehend you, or was it just to secure Brin's safety. I know that she had developed Progeria at the time. As for Zack, well he killed someone, they had no choice; he was risking exposure."

Now that Max thought about it, the TAC team did seem to focus more on getting Brin than getting her or Zack and from Manticore's perspective (and she couldn't believe she was actually thinking this) his capture did make sense. Still, there was one more piece of evidence that she needed in order to even begin to accept that Manticore had changed.

"I want to talk to Brin and Zack, and there's still no way in hell I'm going back to Manticore, even if it has changed."

Bella smiled understandingly and nodded, "Later, they're…" she checked her watch before saying, "…still in the middle of field exercise. During dinner which is in 1 and a half hours I'll let you use my cell to call her. Anything else?" Bella asked looking from Max to Ben.

"Yeah… Will they let me back in?" Ben asked quietly, a bit ashamed of his question.

Max's eyes widened in shock but one look at Ben's eyes and she knew why he had asked the question. "I need… help."

"They'll accept you with open arms. See they kind of changed your status from traitors and deserters to the inspirers of change. Though like every population, there will always be douche bags," Bella said reminiscently, remembering when they're lessons no longer involved looking at the faces of her family with those horrid titles and then Derek, that stupid X5.

"This is all too weird," Max said.

"Tell me about it, you didn't live through it," Bella said jokingly. Max smiled at her sis while Ben's eyes were filled with hope.

This made Bella remember the reason she was here in the first place and probably the reason Max was here too. "Ben… I don't really want to ask you but I need to know, why'd you do it?" The information from the mission folder flashed in Bella's thoughts: teeth pulled out, barcode tattoo on the victims - all the same number, and brutal murders.

"I… I don't really know. I remember doing it all and when I look back I find that I hate myself but I don't really know why I did it. I remember telling Max that I felt lost out here where back at Manticore it all made sense but really that explanation doesn't fit, not now anyways. I just feel like it was almost all a dream. I don't know what's wrong with me…" Ben looked so sad and was filled to the brim with guilt; Bella couldn't help but give him another hug which was joined by Max to form a group hug.

"It's not your fault Ben," Max said equally distraught because of what her brother was feeling.

"We love you either way, we're family, we stick together no matter what," Bella reassured him. A small smile from Ben told them that he appreciated the gesture but that he wasn't quite ready to forgive himself just yet; at least not until he was sure that it wouldn't happen again.

"So what's the plan now?" Bella said, as they began trekking away from the factory and to where Max stashed her bike, which was in the same direction as where Bella stashed hers.

"I need to tell Logan, my friend, that everything's fine. We can head back to his place to catch up and wait until you can call Brin and Zack. You're still a potential enemy after all," Max said with a fake glare.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Yet you're taking me with you to your friend's place. I didn't know that 10 years away would make you forget all your training Max."

"Well you know that hostage situations were always Max's downfall," Ben smirked, joining in on the fun.

Now it was Max's turn to roll her eyes. "You want to say that to my face? I can kick your ass anytime anywhere bro."

"I'll take you on any day sis," Ben replied with the same confident tone that Max had.

"Sorry Ben but I'm betting on Max if you two were ever to fight," Bella laughed at the pout that was displayed on Ben's visage. "She's just the better fighter."

"More like the dirtier fighter," Ben whispered conspiringly which earned up a punch on the shoulder from Max.

"What'd you say Ben?"

"Err… that I bow down to your prowess," Ben said, a bit frightened of the growl that erupted from Max.

"Good boy."

Bella couldn't take it anymore and she burst out laughing. It was like nothing had changed… There was still the family connection that bound them together and nothing could break it.

Still at the same time, they were all grown up now. There were probably lots of things that had changed and Bella didn't know about; what were their hobbies? Did they have significant other?

None of that mattered at the moment though because they were still family and connected no matter what. The rest of the walk to the bikes was taken up by chatter and catching up with each other. All three of them felt like they belonged.

* * *

><p><strong>AN** : Another chapter finished =D. Still no Cullens sorry =/. In a few more chapters they'll appear.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or Twilight

Summary: What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. X5-481, Bella, is the first to try out a new regiment where soldiers are free to be outside of the facility but they must still perform their duties as a soldier (go on missions). PS None of the bad encounters with Lydecker happened (Prodigy and Cold Comfort did happen).

_**Chapter 3: You're Eyes Only**_

The walk to their bikes had really done Max, Bella and Ben good. They felt rejuvenated and their spirits were uplifted after reuniting and catching up with each other.

Once they got the bikes Bella suggested that Ben ride with her.

"Any specific reason why?" Max asked with a brow raised suspiciously. Even though she was giving Bella a chance, she didn't want her little sister to have an opportunity to take either her or Ben back to hell if her intentions weren't true.

"Chill sis, it'll just be easier because I've got a no questions asked universal sector pass," Bella explained showing Max the pass Lydecker had given her.

"Sorry… just had to make sure," Max said apologetically as she let Bella take her pass back. "It's just… living all these…"

"Don't worry about it sis, Brin and Zack had a tough time too and they were seeing it with their own eyes. It's understandable that you're suspicious."

"I know, I just feel like I should trust you more little sis… and Ben here has no trouble trusting you at all."

"Just trust your instincts Maxie, as for me; well… let's just say that I trust Bella here with my life. I would never have asked to be taken to Manticore otherwise," Ben added the last part under his breath though he knew that the others both heard it with their enhanced hearing.

"Right well then, let's head over to your friend Logan's. Lead the way sis," Bella said straddling her ride. Ben got on behind her and placed his arms around her waist. Bella couldn't help but feel safe knowing Ben had her back.

"Don't fall behind," Max smirked cockily.

"Please, with you driving? As if," Bella returned the jibe easily. The two revved their motors before taking off. At the speed they were going, they arrived at Logan's in 15 minutes including the line up wait at the sector border, which they passed through easily. The ride itself, though short, was exhilarating because they were with their family as they rode down the highway. It was like they were free to do anything they wanted to do.

"I haven't had as much fun since I raced with Zack, though I didn't know it was Zack at the time," Max smiled getting off her Ninja and then taking off her riding glasses.

"That was… I gotta get myself a bike," Ben said getting off, unable to find words to describe the experience.

"Yeah, nothing beats having 600ccs of pure raw power between your legs?" Bella and Ben looked at their sister with raised brows.

"What? It's true!" she defended herself not caring that what she had said sounded like a sexual innuendo.

Max got off her bike placing her riding glasses in her jacket and then walked up to the entrance to the Condo before proceeding to unlock it. By the time her siblings had caught up with her she had already finished unlocking the door.

"Do you do this every time you visit your friend?" Bella teased. She found it funny how her sister had to break in to meet up with the Logan guy; after all, couldn't he just give her the keys or let her in through the buzzer?

"Yeah, where's the fun in going in the normal way?" Max shrugged nonchalantly.

"A true cat burglar, getting off at picking locks," said Ben. Once again Max punched him in the shoulder as the elevator arrived to show her thoughts at his comment.

"I don't get _off _at picking locks," she said indignantly.

"But you are a true cat burglar," Bella added in. For once it was Bella that got a punch in the shoulder and not Ben. She rubbed the point of contact begrudgingly as the elevator rose all the way to the penthouse level.

"Wow Max, you really know how to pick them," Bella said as the three entered Logan's apartment after Max picked the lock of his suite. The apartment was decorated with many pieces of art, paintings and sculptures, while the rooms were furnished with high end furniture. Bella had to admit that the man had taste.

"Logan! I'm here with two members of my family; Ben and Bella," Max cried out.

From beside her Bella could feel Ben tense up and she took his hand into hers and began to stroke it supportively. "Does he know about…?" Ben trailed off unable to speak of the sins he committed now that he was thinking straight. Max nodded affirmatively

Bella looked at her curiously, eyes asking if Logan knew about what they really were. When Max nodded again Bella whispered quickly, "He can't know what I told you. Let him assume how things are; too much knowledge could get him killed."

Another nod from Max let Bella know that she accepted her decision and understood it, which was the most important part. If she didn't… well then Bella would have to worry about Max actually letting the information she had told them in confidence slip and then they might have a problem. Thankfully Max understood the meaning of discretion.

"I'm in the living room," a gruff voice called out, obviously belonging to a male.

Max led Bella and Ben towards the living room where they saw a man in his early thirties sitting in a wheelchair. He smiled at them though it didn't seem sincere; he was guarded and unsure of them, probably due to the fact that he thought Ben was a killer.

"Max is everything okay now?" Logan turned to Max after looking at her siblings warily.

"Yeah everything's cool. There was a little misunderstanding no biggie. Father Destry's safe and so is Ben and that's all that matters," Max said before giving Logan a look which said to leave the situation as is, and let her handle it.

"Sure, if you say so," Logan replied reluctantly but let Max control the reigns. Good thing too since he really didn't know much about the situation

"It's always nice to meet more of Max's family," Logan said as he finally turned back towards Bella and Ben. He held out his hand for a handshake saying, "I'm Logan Cale, Max's friend as she probably already told you."

Ben took his hand and shook it briefly before letting go and then Bella stepped forward to shake his hand. While doing so Bella looked straight at Logan's eyes and then an image of the cyber-journalist on TV came into her mind as she correlated her memories with the new image she was looking at.

"You're Eyes-Only," she said neutrally as she usually did when she went into one of her…trances as Alec liked to call them. She was the best in her Unit at cross-referencing data from her memories and new data available to come up with new information, which is what she did right then and there.

"What, are you sure?" Ben asked looking at her strangely, but another look at Logan and he knew that what she said was true. If that wasn't enough, both Max and Logan tensed up considerably at Bella's outburst confirming her claim.

"How did you know?" Logan let go of Bella's hand abruptly and suspicion was plain as day in his eyes.

"It's one of my genetic enhancements. I'm good at cross-referencing memories with what I see. I looked at your eyes and noticed that they looked familiar and then an image of a TV broadcast hack I saw allowed me to compare your eyes with Eyes-Only's and after that, I just knew," Bella explained sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Promise," Bella said once fear began to settle into Logan's expression.

"I won't either," Ben added once he realized that he should probably say something since this wasn't just a silly secret like a teenage girl's crush.

"You better not, or I'll kick both of your asses," Max said relieving the tension.

Bella laughed at Max's tendency to revert to violence to solve everything but them remembered the reason why they were at Logan's in the first place and said, "It's 6:30. We have half an hour to waste. What do you want to do?"

"What's happening in half an hour?" Logan asked looking at Max. His eyes were ordering her to tell him but Max just brushed it off easily.

"Bella's in touch with some of our siblings and she's letting me talk to them at 7:00."

"Alright," Logan said satisfied with the answer. "We can eat dinner while we wait. I was cooking dinner in the oven when you guys came in, it should be ready now."

Two loud growls coming from Bella and Ben told the other two that dinner was a good idea. Embarrassed Bella felt the need to justify her hungry stomach by saying, "I skipped lunch because I was in a hurry."

"Whatever sis, you don't need to tell us. We all know the truth; that you're a pig when it comes to food."

Bella glared at Max but let it go when Logan took out a delicious smelling roast chicken with pineapples on the side. He also took out a salad he'd prepared earlier out of the fridge and then laid out plates around the dining table. Bella and Ben were practically drooling at the mouth but held their composure like the good little soldiers they were.

"Oh my Blue Lady… Logan you do not know how long it's been since I've had a meal like that. Thank-you," Ben said sincerely. It seemed like all it took was a compliment to his cooking for Logan to warm up to the supposed cold blooded killer.

"You're welcome."

Bella checked her watch again and saw that it was 7:03; perfect time to give Zack a call. She took her cell phone out flipped it open and entered in a phone number. The other three watched her carefully as she did so: Logan curious to see which sibling she was calling, Ben, excited to hear the voices of his other siblings, and Max, ensuring that Bella was not going to give away their position.

"Hello Bella?" the three transgenics heard Zack say on the other line after two rings.

"Hey bro, I have Max here wanting to hear from you and our other sister there. Are you free to talk?" Bella asked careful not to reveal any information to Logan about whom it was she had called.

"Yeah definitely, as you know, dinner just started so we're free to talk for an hour if Max wants it." Bella promptly handed the cell over to Max who took it quickly.

"Hello?" she spoke meekly, not at all like the Max Bella knew.

"Maxie how are you?" Zack asked her lovingly. He always did have a soft spot for Max, though back at Manticore he realized it only extended as really close siblings since he began developing a crush for an X5 named Claire.

"I'm doing good… I'm so sorry for getting you…"

"It's fine Maxie. I like it here, surprisingly enough. I met someone too, but don't tell anyone. I want to tell her myself," Zack interrupted not wanting Max to give it away that he was on the other line not knowing who was listening in on the conversation.

Bella glanced at Logan and saw how frustrated he was at not knowing who Max was talking to.

"Good for you. You deserve someone bro and maybe she'll actually get you to loosen up on your ideals a little," Max replied composing herself and becoming the one and only Max from Unit 2 they knew and loved.

"My ideals have saved your ass at least once Maxie, and you know it."

"Yeah yeah, save it for someone who cares okay? Can you pass the cell to our sis; I want to know how she's doing."

"Sure." Some sounds came through which told the three transgenics that the phone was being passed to someone else.

"Max?" a girl's voice came through.

"Hey, how are you doing? Feeling better?" Max asked caringly. She was relieved to hear Brin's voice without any rasp in it since the last time they were together, Brin could hardly talk let alone move.

"Yeah, I'm cured! This place is really different from what we expected Maxie and I want you to pass it on if you meet up with any of our other brothers and sisters. I wanted to thank you for accepting my decision back then," Brin said referring to the time Zack and Max left her at a bench for Manticore to take.

"No prob…" Max said easily, though from her face it could be seen that at the time she had thought she was sending Brin back to hell and felt guilty for it.

"Hey if Ben's there tell him we love him, we don't know what kind of danger he's in but we love him all the same… I have to go; our big brother's looking at me annoyed and wants the phone back." Bella and Max looked at Ben who had unshed tears in his eyes from hearing that two more of his siblings would still love him despite everything. It made him all the more determined to get through his illness.

"Hey Maxie, I know I said we could talk for an hour but we have an emergency meeting for all Units. It's probably some sort of mission debrief where the Unit that volunteers the quickest will get it. We love you. Pass our love to Bella and Ben for us too. Bye Maxie."

"Bye big bro. I got what I needed to hear anyways. I'll see you when I see you," Max said before flipping the phone closed.

"Thanks for that," she said handing the phone back to Bella.

"No problem. Anything for family," Bella smiled in response.

Meanwhile Logan was all the more frustrated that he didn't get a single name out of the conversation. He decided the best way to satisfy his need for knowledge was to ask directly.

"So Max, which of your siblings were you talking to?"

Max shrugged saying, "Just a couple that I haven't talked to in a while; wanted to know what was up in their life."

"Really, well is it someone that I know? Because it sounded like you'd met with them before," Logan pushed for answers. In the name of the Blue Lady… this guy just didn't know when to take a hint, which I guess was useful in his line of work, but this had nothing to do with him.

"Look Logan, I do favours for you and you give me information on my siblings. What I talk about and what I do with my siblings is my business," Max said shutting down the conversation.

"Let's go guys."

Max stood up from the dining table followed by Bella and Ben, before heading out the penthouse apartment. "By the way, thanks for dinner. It was great," she said before leaving.

The ride down the elevator was uncomfortable with the irritation radiating off of Max. Once they were at their rides, Bella gathered up the courage to tell her sis what she thought of Logan, feeling it was her duty to make sure that Max knew what she was getting herself into with the guy.

"Max, I know you might not want to hear this but I have to say it. Be careful with your feelings around Logan okay? I know that some of my friends back at the base have fallen in love, or what they thought was love, with ordinaries while out on a mission, but then they realize it's not really love. Soldiers like us who've never actually experienced love before tend to mistake camaraderie or acceptance and friendship as love."

"From what I've seen between you and Logan, he likes you, or at least likes the idea of you, I'm not sure. He's trouble to us though; he's headstrong and a bit self-righteous if his TV broadcasts are anything to go by. Just… be sure of your feelings okay? If you ever decide to act on them just be certain. I'm not going to tell you who you should love, but I'm going to say that you act differently around Logan… like you're trying to please him. I just think that people in a relationship shouldn't have to act a certain way and just be able to be themselves."

Max turned sharply to face Bella and was about to tell her to mind her own business since what she said had hit a nerve but stopped when she saw Bella's expression. Bella really did want the best for her sister and she was just looking out for Max. Max saw the care and worry in her sister's face then forced herself to calm down and think rationally about what Bella had said.

"I'll be careful sis, but I expect you not to backtalk me or whoever my boyfriend may be when I have one," Max finally said after some thought.

"Fine, but only if he's not an ass hole who's clearly not right for you," Bella smirked knowing that her message had gotten across. Her work here was done.

"Where are you headed?" Max asked as she got on her bike. Bella followed suit and then Ben after her who then wrapped his arms around Bella's waist again.

"To a hotel; I have money from my missions, lots of it, so you don't need to worry. Tomorrow we'll be heading back to base after I get Ben here his own ride," Bella turned to smile at Ben.

"You really don't have to do that Bells…"

"I want to, but if you're really against it, you can pay me back later once you start getting paid for missions. Oh, and before I forget, here Max," Bella passed a slip of paper to her sis with two numbers on it.

"First one's mine and the second one's Zack's in case you have an emergency. Don't be a stranger!" She said revving up her engine. Before Bella and Ben could leave, Max quickly handed Bella a piece of paper on which she had written down her page number, and her landline. The three then exchanged smiles and goodbyes.

Max smiled at her two siblings as they exited the condo parking lot. She knew they were going to be okay and she was happy. Today, though it had started out terrible with the hunt to kill Father Destry, but had ended incredibly well with her reuniting with her siblings and finding out that Zack and Brin were okay. It was one of the first times Max could ever remember being truly happy, and only happy, in a long time. She rode away with a smile on her face lasting all the way home.

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><p><strong>AN:** Over 50 visitors and still no reviews. :'(. But seriously, just give me an honest opinion of what you think =D.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dark Angel or Twilight

**Summary:** What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. X5-481, Bella, is the first to try out a new regiment where soldiers are free to be outside of the facility but they must still perform their duties as a soldier (go on missions). PS None of the bad encounters with Lydecker happened (Prodigy and Cold Comfort did happen).

_**Chapter 4: The Twin**_

After getting Ben a bike, a Kawasaki Ninja like Max's, midnight blue in colour, they headed off to Manticore base, 1 and a half hours away from Seattle. Much like the ride to Seattle when Bella was on her way to save Ben, they arrived before their ETA. Unlike it though was the need to save a family member, instead it was filled with anxiety and hope for Ben's part.

When they arrived they were met with guards at the gate. Bella showed them her pass and said, "He's with me," motioning towards Ben. The guards opened the gate for her but before she entered she asked one of them to tell Colonel Lydecker to be expecting her and X5-493.

"Alright ma'am, he's expecting you in 10 minutes," one of the guards told her after talking in his radio. Bella nodded her thanks before leading the way inside the facility to the garage where she and Ben parked their bikes.

They walked out of the garage and then headed for Lydecker's office 7 minutes away. Then entire duration of the walk Ben was fidgeting with his hands and jumpy at every corner they turned. Bella looked at him with concern hoping that Ben wouldn't fall back into his state of psychosis. She reached for his hand and stroked it the rest of the way there.

"Are you ready Ben?" Bella asked him softly as they stood just outside of Lydecker's office. Ben took his hand away from Bella's and took a deep breath steeling himself for the rush of memories he would get form seeing their… guardian as children. A determined nod told Bella he was as ready as he was ever going to be.

She took a step forward and pushed open the doors before standing aside to let Ben in. She let the door close before turning to face Lydecker and standing to attention. At the corner of her eyes she saw that Ben had already did so which almost made her smile but instead she just said, "X5-481 and X5-493 reporting for duty sir!"

"At ease," the siblings changed their stance.

"I wasn't expecting you back for another month 481 and I wasn't expecting to see you at all 493. Report mission status 481," Lydecker said examining the two transgenics in front of him with curiosity.

"Mission status is complete sir. X5-493 has been stopped."

"Then why are you here?" Bella wanted Ben to say why they were here so that he'd have the courage to face his memories but after a few seconds of silence and Lydecker slowly becoming suspicious, Bella opened her mouth to speak. She was however interrupted by Ben.

"Permission to speak sir," he said confidently, though Bella knew it had taken all his courage to say that.

"Granted 493."

"At the moment I am functioning… properly sir but I do not know if I will revert to my previous state. I do not want that to happen again."

"And what is it exactly you came here for?" From Lydecker's eyes, Bella knew that the colonel already knew what Ben was asking for and she also knew that the colonel would do it from the care in his eyes. He really had become a changed man… for the better too.

"…I am requesting your aid sir, to stop me from killing again." There, Ben finally said it, what he came here to accomplish. A great sense of relief washed over him.

"Very well, but on one condition," Lydecker replied. Here it was, Ben thought, the moment of truth. He hoped that the condition wouldn't be anything too hard to accomplish. He figured that he'd do anything except harm his siblings to be cured of his psychosis.

"You will stay with 481 for at least a year after your treatment to avoid any occurrences should the treatment not last, and you will accompany her on any missions that she will be assigned. Understood soldier?"

Whatever Ben was expecting, it was not this. This was a gift not, at all the burden which he was expecting. Ben couldn't help but let a small smile filter through his mask.

"Sir yes sir."

Lydecker nodded his head approvingly before saying, "481 check 493 into Medical for his evaluation. You will be staying here for the duration of his treatment. While here you will be joining your Unit mates for training. 493, I will have your universal pass ready in two days. Dismissed." The two transgenics saluted before turning and exiting the office.

"Wow… I just… wow," Ben was speechless as he followed Bella to Medical. He had heard from Bella, Zack, and Brin that Manticore had changed, but to actually witness it for himself. It was just… incomprehensible.

"I knew in my head that I should have been expecting this if what you and the others said were true but still… It's so odd being back here after believing it to be hell for 19 years of my life and finding out that it's not."

"It will only get better from here," Bella smiled. "Hopefully your evaluation will end before dinner. I want to introduce you to my friends and my CO, who's your clone. His designation's 494 but we call him Alec."

"I have a twin…" Ben said shocked.

"Actually we all have twins. It's odd but you get used to it. I haven't met mine and but I hear that her name's Marie."

"So… are you and my twin together?"

"Huh?" Bella had to stop mid walk at Ben's question. What the hell gave him the idea that they were together?

"No we're just friends… Why do you ask?"

Ben shrugged nonchalantly. "By the way you said his name; I could tell that you two were close." Bella resumed walking more flustered than before.

"Why? Are you jealous?" It was Ben's turn to stop and look at Bella incredulously.

"Why would I be jealous? No one can ever be as close to you as I am," Ben whispered into Bella's ear. Bella's blush became even more noticeable to which Ben only smiled.

"Yeah… our relationship is unique that's for sure," Bella muttered under her breath as she turned around and kept walking towards Medical no longer saying a word. Ben followed her, the smile still on his face.

* * *

><p>After checking Ben into Medical and telling the staff there to contact her and Lydecker if there was a problem, she went to her cell and changed out of her civilian clothes into her military ones. She checked her watch to see that it was noon, just in time for lunch. She walked towards the mess hall and got her food before joining her friends at their usual table. They all stared at her without the usual greeting as if they were expecting her to say something.<p>

"Marie… I know that I'm nice to stare at and all, but what are you doing here?" Alec questioned jokingly, though Bella could see that he wanted to know.

Bella looked at her friends in disbelief, but decided not to say anything to see when they would figure out it was her.

"Hey don't look at us like that! You're the one that just sits there like you own the place where Bella usual… oh Hi Bella," Biggs said quietly after yelling at her.

Bella couldn't help but laugh at the realization on her friends' and family's faces. "You really should see your faces… It looks like someone came and told you all that each of you were pregnant."

"Bella, nice to see that you're back, but it's only been a day… oh no, please don't tell me that the program's been cancelled," Brin said disappointedly. Meanwhile the guys still had disgusted looks on their faces at the thought of being pregnant.

"Men can't become pregnant," Zack finally said getting over the bad mental image in his head. Bella seemed amused at the fact that they chose to ignore Brin's comment but replied to Zack anyways seeing as Brin looked amused too.

"You never know with all the gene splicing they did, maybe they made all the males hermaphrodites."

"DON'T even joke about that kind of thing Bells!" Alec cried out in horror. Bella just shook her head laughing again before calming down and resumed to answer Brin's question.

"No need to worry about the program, the test run is still ongoing; I'm here because Ben needs treatment for his psychological condition…" A grim look appeared on Bella's face as she remembered Ben's fear at reverting back into a killer.

"Why? What's wrong with him?" Zack asked concerned. Bella had almost forgotten that she had only told her friends that she needed to save Ben from danger and didn't mention that she needed to save him from himself.

"He's suffering from psychosis… He's alright when I'm around but he wants to make sure he doesn't suffer from it again," Bella explained leaving it at that not wanting to say Ben's secret without his permission. He'll be able to tell them on his own during dinner if he so pleases. The others thankfully got the message and didn't press the situation.

Their training exercises went the usual, they ran, they swam, they held their breath, and they fought. Bella fell into the usual regiment easily, though it was expected since she had only missed a day, with one difference. Her mind was constantly on Ben and whether he was okay or how the doctors were treating and generally just his wellbeing.

She'd never been so consumed in her thoughts other than when her Unit had escaped the facility. It was a bit worrying but Bella knew that the closest person to her, the person that she wouldn't hesitate to die for, was Ben. It was however incredibly relaxing to see him walk into the mess hall during dinner.

"Ben! Over here," she called out to him. She met his gaze and smiled which he returned. He took his tray of food before heading towards her table. She had gained the attention of all her friends and family when she called out Ben's name, at first wondering if she was going insane, but then followed her gaze to see a replica of Alec heading their way.

"Whoa, what the hell? None of you told me that Ben was my twin!" Alec exclaimed narrowing his eyes at Zack, Brin and Bella, who just shrugged their shoulders.

"You never asked," Zack explained shortly. Alec was about to go on a rant about how he had no way of knowing that Ben was his twin and how people don't normally ask if a stranger is their twin totally blowing the situation out of proportions, but was thankfully stopped when Ben arrived at their table and sat next to Bella.

"Everyone, this is Ben. Ben this is Biggs, and Alec. You already know Zack and Brin. You'll meet the others later," Bella introduced.

"Hey there little bro, welcome back to Manticore," Alec smirked thinking he now had someone else to pick on other than Biggs.

"Sorry _little bro_, but I came first. My designation's 493 and yours is 494," Ben said as he wrapped his arm around Alec's neck and then proceeded to give him a noogie messing up his perfect hair. Bella was glad to see Ben acting like his playful self again, it made all the anxiety and fear he'd felt due to his coming here worth it to see him like this again.

"Hey that is so not cool Ben! Stop it!" Alec twisted around getting himself free and huffing indignantly, the then began to fix his hair all the while glaring at his twin. The group of friends laughed at his expense only annoying Alec further.

"Admit it Alec, he got you this time," Biggs said through his laughter.

Alec crossed his arms and turned away from his so called best friend. "Whatever, but when we meet on the mat pretty boy, I'm taking you down," aiming his words at Ben.

"You know you just called yourself a pretty boy right?" Brin looked at Alec weirdly.

"Yeah so? I can't help it if I'm genetically superior in looks out of all of the X5's in this facility."

"Can it smart ass," Zack said forever short and to the point.

"What is it? Pick on Alec day? Bella you're on my side right?" Alec turned to face his other best friend with a puppy dog face. She was about to stick up for him when she saw that Ben was giving her one too. Bella blushed unable to pick a side and so stayed quiet.

"Hehe, look bro! We made Bella blush," Alec said triumphantly with a smirk; he high-fived his twin making Bella glare at the both of them.

"How the hell am I supposed to pick between to identically ha… faces like yours," Bella said omitting a word once she realized what she was about to say.

"What Bella? What were you going to say?" Alec teased knowing that once again Bella was embarrassed.

"I believe she was going to say handsome bro," Ben said with an identical smirk to Alec's.

"I thought this was supposed to be pick on Alec day, not make Bella embarrassed day," she mumbled unable to take anymore and just turned and focused on eating her food.

The laughing commenced but Bella couldn't bring herself to frown; instead she smiled knowing that they were laughing with her. Once again Bella was back at home, but it was also different now that Ben was here, it was better.

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><p><strong>AN:** I promise that the next chapter has the Cullens in it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dark Angel or Twilight

**Summary:** What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. X5-481, Bella, is the first to try out a new regiment where soldiers are free to be outside of the facility but they must still perform their duties as a soldier (go on missions). PS None of the bad encounters with Lydecker happened (Prodigy and Cold Comfort did happen).

_**Chapter 5: Forks**_

A week, that was how long it took for the doctors at Manticore to treat the psychosis and be confident by a percentage of 99.9% that he would stay in his right mind at all times. It was apparently caused by a chemical imbalance in brain, a different one than the usual deficiency of serotonin that the X5 series suffered from.

For some unknown reason Ben had too much of a certain neurotransmitter causing his brain to emit messages to commit violence, specifically murder. These messages were random and no cause was explained so the rest of the brain took that message and added onto it to make sense of it hence the serial patterns he'd shown when he killed.

Ben hadn't suffered from any kind of relapse while getting treatment which was a mystery to Manticore's doctors and a relief to Ben. All he had to do now was take pills containing a certain enzyme to keep the messages of violence at bay and he was home free. At the moment Ben and Bella were enjoying their last nightly rec time with their transgenic friends and family at Manticore for what would be, at the most, a month.

During the week Ben had spent at Manticore he had joined in on Bella's Unit's exercises when he wasn't in for tests or further evaluations. Needless to say he was definitely not used to it after being on the run for 10 years, but he enjoyed it, especially sparring sessions. He'd especially enjoyed sparring with his twin even if he didn't always win. Thankfully though he won their first par, something which Alec attributed to his underestimating his brother, and he always rubbed it in his twin's face.

Now they were just enjoying a night bantering with their friends with no care in the world.

"Ben, Bella, where are you guys planning to go anyways?" Biggs asked. Huh… that was a good question. Neither transgenic had ever thought about it before.

"Are you going to stay in Seattle with Max?" Zack asked knowing that Max was really the only escapee whose position Ben and Bella knew. Zack still wouldn't reveal the other escapee's locations, despite knowing that Manticore had stopped searching for them, saying that it was just better that way. He had contacted them though to tell them of Manticore's situation just in case they came across any trouble they couldn't deal with alone or they couldn't run from.

Bella shook her head. "Max has problems of her own and while I know we would be welcomed I don't really want to intrude. Plus she's still wary of Manticore," Bella said explaining her reasoning.

"She has Bella's cell number anyways oh and she has yours too Zack," Ben added. Zack nodded but frowned, probably because they hadn't told him about giving Max his cell number earlier.

"Don't go too far. We still want you to visit more often than three times a month," Brin said.

"Well where would you guys go?" Bella said asking for suggestions. She really had no idea where to go and it seemed like Ben had no idea either.

"Vegas baby! Tons of girls and booze and rich slobs that you can con or steal from for money," Alec piped in licking his lips imagining himself in his form of heaven.

"Thanks but no thanks Alec… That's your ideal home not mine. Thank the Blue Lady that I'm not like you," Ben mumbled the last part to himself which Alec heard anyways. All Alec did to retaliate was stick his tongue out which Ben had to roll his eyes because of his immaturity.

"I can't believe we're related…"

"You're just jealous because I'm the hotter one."

Ben looked at Bella knowingly before replying, "Why would I be jealous?" Bella couldn't help but blush remembering their conversation from a week ago. She cursed herself for her lack of control; she'd blushed more times this entire week than she had the rest of her life.

"Get back on topic. I knew this would happen so I got a map of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Nevada and California seeing as those are the closest states to this facility," Zack said pulling out 5 different maps from his military jacket.

"Sir, yes sir," the four friends said at the same time mocking the overly serious CO.

Zack glared but continued on, "Which state do you want to live in?"

Ben and Bella exchanged a glance before simultaneously saying, "Washington." Zack placed four of the five maps back into his jacket before proceeding to open the map of Washington.

"Seattle's a no," Zack said crossing the city off of the map with a pen he took out of his jacket making Bella wonder what else he kept in that jacket of his.

"Great," Alec said rolling his eyes as he looked at the map. "That just leaves you with, oh I don't know, maybe 200 other cities and towns."

"Hey guys look at this town, Forks," Biggs said pointing at a small dot on the Washington Peninsula.

"What kind of name is Forks," Brin asked to no one in particular. Shrugs were seen within the group with exception of Biggs who was grinning, obviously finding the name cool.

"If you go there there'll be less cops and generally less crime to get you two into trouble," Zack said thoughtfully.

"Hey! Are you sure you're not mistaking me for my smart ass of a twin?" Ben looked at Zack weirdly. He and Bella in trouble with the cops? Ben highly doubted that it would ever happen, well as long as he stayed sane.

"I resent that!" Alec said glaring once again at his older brother.

"It's true that there'll be less cops, but since it's a smaller town the inhabitants will probably be more intrusive too," Bella said ignoring the twins' banter.

"It's approximately three and a half hours away from Manticore as well as from Seattle and obviously 5 hours away from Seattle if you pass by Manticore first," Biggs said examining the ETA for the possible destinations and routes Bella and Ben would take if there was a situation.

"Sounds good to me," Ben said finishing his glaring contest with his brother, which he sadly lost (Alec was currently doing a mental happy dance and smirking triumphantly for the world to see). "I'd rather deal with nosy neighbours than idiotic cops and drunkards."

"It's settled then we're going to Forks," Bella concluded before folding the map back up and then handing it back to Zack.

"Just in time too," Brin said as she looked at the clock in the mess hall seeing that it was 11:00 and time for everyone to head back to their cells.

"I guess this is it," said Bella, smiling at the thought of being free to do what she wanted for an entire month, excluding missions.

"Yep, too bad you won't be able to see my handsome face tomorrow morning before you leave," Alec said giving Bella quick hug.

"Of course I will," Bella said returning the quick hug before looking pointedly at Ben.

"Damn, having a twin is really putting a damper on my fun." Mumbling, Alec moved away from Bella letting the others give her a hug before heading to their cell.

"I'll meet you at the garage tomorrow Bella. Goodnight," Ben said kissing Bella on the forehead goodnight. Bella went to her cell dazed and she didn't even notice when she reached it and fell asleep, all she knew was that she woke up feeling the most rested she had ever been.

* * *

><p>A week later, Ben and Bella were finally settled in a two story white house and a basement with many windows and a balcony on the 2nd floor facing the forest behind their property.<p>

The house had one master bedroom, which Ben had won in a fair 3 round spar to Bella's dismay, and another bedroom (Bella's) on the 2nd floor. The 1st floor had two guest bedrooms, smaller than Bella's room, a dining room, a living room, and a kitchen as well. Each floor had one restroom and there was one attached to each of the bedrooms too. Each bedroom also had a closet though the master bedroom was the only one that was a walk-in.

The basement was by far Bella's favourite floor though since it was where all of their training equipment was set up and where their weapons were hidden very carefully.

It was an awesome house and what made it even better was that they were a bit further away from the other residents of Forks so they could do their exercises without any suspicion. They'd probably been able to get settled in after 3 days since that was how long it took them to get new identities from Manticore, and paint all of rooms their designated colours, but the darn furniture had been delayed so they had to delay their plans for starting school (Ben and Bella had spent this time training at Manticore).

They were only a 30 minute walk from Forks high and a 25 minute walk away from the grocery store but they're bikes brought that down to less than 5 minutes. They arrived in exactly that amount of time on their first day of school.

Everyone in the parking was staring at them as they parked their rides. "Haven't they ever seen a sports bike before?" Bella mumbled annoyed at the attention they got. One look at the cars in the parking lot and Bella guessed no. The only ride that was almost as conspicuous as theirs was a silver Volvo but still, no one but them had motorcycles. It probably didn't help that they were new in town too.

"So much for staying under the radar," Ben whispered jokingly to Bella as they got off their rides and took of their riding glasses. He'd expressed his feelings on Bella's desire to be invisible in the small town knowing it would be impossible but Bella would not hear of it… until now.

"It was inevitable," Bella sighed, admitting defeat.

"Shall we?" Ben said motioning for Bella to go first. Bella smiled at him saying, "My gentleman," before walking in front and heading into the school. Ben smiled and followed suite; this was going to be an interesting day.

As the two transgenics walked into the school all eyes were on them. Five pars of those eyes were of the Cullens who were standing near the silver Volvo that Bella had spotted while looking over the parking lot

"There's something strange about the two new students," the one known as Edward Cullen said. His siblings looked at him strangely.

"They smell different," he explained.

"I agree," Jasper added a couple of seconds after. "I don't feel the temptation to drink them… They smell appetizing but at the same time unappetizing. It doesn't make sense." He was clearly confused at the existence of the new students.

"All I need to know is that their rides are sweet! Why don't any of us have sport bikes?" Emmett pouted, though it looked quite silly on someone so muscled like him.

"Whatever… Who cares if they smell different? They're still humans who can't find out about our secret," Rosalie reminded the others sharply.

"They're going to be a big part of our lives," the last Cullen, Alice, said cryptically before walking away from the others. She turned back to look at them a few steps away saying, "I'm going to class now. See you all at lunch," before turning towards the school again and then walking inside.

Her siblings looked at each other exasperatedly wishing that she wouldn't be so mysterious all the time.

"Do you know what that was about Eddie?" Emmett asked his brother who frowned at the nickname.

"No, she's thinking of the Japanese alphabet to keep me out." All that admission did was make the siblings even more annoyed. They all wondered what the weirdest member of their family meant by the new students being 'a big part of their family.' One thing was certain: Alice would not be telling them any time soon. With a shake of their heads, the remaining Cullens went inside the school and headed to first class.

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><p><strong>AN: **In the next chapter, Bella talks to Alice.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dark Angel or Twilight

**Summary**: What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. X5-481, Bella, is the first to try out a new regiment where soldiers are free to be outside of the facility but they must still perform their duties as a soldier (go on missions). PS None of the bad encounters with Lydecker happened (Prodigy and Cold Comfort did happen).

**A/N:** I was planning to post this tomorrow but turns out that I'm going to be busy the whole day tomorrow so I guess I'm posting it today

_**Chapter 6: Non-Humans at High school**_

As Ben and Bella walked through the hallway, they left a trail of gossip and rumours, which they could easily hear due to their genetically enhanced senses.

"Dang that girl's fine. I wouldn't mind getting to know her better."

"I hope they're not together…"

"They're rich you know. I saw them in the parking lot; they came to school on sport bikes!"

"They must be the new students. I wonder if they're nice."

"Whoa… are they models or something?"

"Or something," Ben whispered to Bella which she responded to with a quiet laugh. The gossip didn't stop but thankfully it faded as they reached the office.

"Hi, my name's Isabella Swan."

"And I'm Ben McDowell."

"We're new here and we need our schedules." The two introduced themselves with a polite smile.

The secretary looked at the two with a knowing glance, which both the transgenics caught, assuming incorrectly that they were together. She opened a drawer and then drew four sheets of paper handing two to each of them.

"Of course, here you are dears. Don't forget to get your teachers' signatures on the smaller sheet of paper and then hand it back to me after school today. Have a nice first day," she said with her own smile.

"Thank-you ma'am," the two said simultaneously earning them a strange look which they just replied with a smile. They'd have to remember not to act so military like to avoid being more conspicuous than they already were.

Ben and Bella left the office to go to their lockers which were thankfully next to each other. They placed a couple of binders and their gym strip into their lockers seeing as they had gym class last.

"Surprisingly, we actually have gym class together," Ben said when they exchanged schedules to know where the other was going to be and where they had to go in case of an emergency.

"Yeah, I was expecting none since we're in different years." Bella being a junior while Ben a senior; Ben was pretending to be a year younger than he actually was while Bella, a year older.

"Guess this is what happens when a school only has 1 and a half full classes for every year," Ben deduced before exchanging schedules again.

"Guess so… Well I'll see you lunch," Bell said closing her locker before walking away.

"See you then," Ben said as the first bell rang.

Bella walked into English to see that only one person, other than the teacher, was currently inside. She recognized her as one of the five hanging around the silver Volvo in the parking lot.

The girl was extremely pale and skinny, she had short black hair sticking out in all directions though wasn't messy at all, and she had the strangest eye colour Bella had ever seen: topaz. She gave Bella the sense the she was not normal which was enhanced by the precise way she seemed to fidget and how Bella didn't see one blemish on her pale skin…

'Now is not the time to analyze the girl though,' Bella thought as she heard students walking closer to the classroom. Bella decided to talk to the teacher to get his signature on the sheet of paper she received from the secretary as students started filing in.

"Mrs. Cailac," Bella began, getting her teacher's attention. "I'm the new student Isabella Swan. I was told I need your signature."

"Yes of course," Mrs. Cailac said holding out her hand where Bella placed the sheet of paper. Mrs. Cailac then signed the line where she was supposed to sign and then handed it back to Bella.

"Can you stay up front so I can introduce you to the class?" she asked, but really meant it as an order as she didn't even wait for Bella's response before turning around to organize her desk. Bella found this extremely rude and couldn't help herself when she whispered her thoughts very softly so that no ordinary could hear.

"Sure I can do that… rude much?" She wasn't expecting anyone to hear her, in fact no one was supposed to hear her but surprisingly enough, the girl that was in the class before her had giggled softly, like she heard Bella's comment. Bella's attention immediately turned to the girl and she examined her using her peripherals not wanting to alert the girl of her suspicion.

Was the girl a transgenic? No definitely not. Bella had seen what all the transgenics looked like and she was not one of them. Even after aging the images in her brain by the appropriate number of years Bella did not find a match. What was she then? 'Definitely not human,' Bella thought.

"Class," the teacher's voice caused Bella to change the center of her attention. "We have a new student joining us today. Her name is Isabella Swan. Can you tell the class a couple of things about yourself?" Once again the teacher gave an order in question format, something that was surely to get on Bella's nerves.

"I prefer to be called Bella. I'm 17 and my birthday's September 13th. I moved from Phoenix, Arizona with my best friend Ben McDowell. He's also new here," Bella said rattling off random things from her background information.

The teacher nodded acceptingly before assigning her a seat; the one next to Alice Cullen or as Bella dubbed her, the girl who wasn't human.

'Perfect,' Bella thought; she was determined to figure out if Cullen was a threat or not.

"Hi and welcome to Forks Bella. We're going to be best friends," Alice greeted with a smile as Bella sat down. Was this girl nuts? Then again she didn't know that Bella viewed her as a threat and when Bella did examine Alice's smile she found it friendly and sincere. Still, what made her think that they were going to be best friends? They didn't know each other period.

"It's nice to meet you," Bella replied returning Alice's smile. They shook hands before turning to look up front to listen to the lesson, or at least pretend to listen. During this time Bella discreetly looked at Alice's exposed neck to see a lack of a barcode.

That sure backed up her idea of Alice not being a transgenic, but still, if she wasn't, what was she? Unfortunately she did not get her answer for the rest of the class or in the next two classes either. She was however relieved when it was finally lunch hour; school had been extremely boring especially for a genius transgenic like her.

* * *

><p>Bella walked into the cafeteria after visiting her locker and then immediately caught sight of Ben sitting at an empty table. She gave him a smile and got some food before sitting down next to him all the while casing the place and planning for the best exit routes if they were attacked.<p>

"How has your day been so far Bells?" he asked softly turning from his food to greet her with a smile.

"As well as it could have gone… I met a girl too, she seemed nice enough. Her name's Alice Cullen." While Bella talked she also tapped a message onto Ben's thigh using Morse code: _Alice_ _is not human but not transgenic._

"Cool. I met her older brother, Emmett Cullen, in one my classes. He thought our rides were sweet."

_Same deal with Emmett_, Ben tapped on her thigh.

"Forks is turning out to be different than what I expected," Bella said with a grim face.

"We'll fit in Bells, don't worry about it," Ben replied comfortingly. Bella gave him an appreciative look before turning to her food and digging in.

Whilst the two ate, they observed the room and found the usual cliques: jocks, preps, geeks, and then the mixed like the group of juniors that was headed for their table.

"That's my cue to leave," Ben said winking as he took his tray and headed off to find a table with some seniors that he met.

"Oh I'm sorry, did we chase him away?" a brunette asked. Behind here were a blond haired blue eyed boy, a black haired and dark brown eyed boy, and another brunette with glasses.

"Nah, he wanted to go mingle with mature people as he deemed them, as if I'm not mature," Bella lied easily, rolling her eyes. "Please sit. I'm Bella by the way, not like you all don't know by now." The four of them sat down at the table with smiles.

"I'm Jessica. These are my friends Mike, Eric, and Angela." Jessica seemed friendly enough but Bella could never know if anyone was a wolf in sheep's clothing. She herself was, after all, one of the best examples of the saying.

"How do you like it here so far?" Angela asked.

Bella bit her lip, looked outside and shrugged. "It's definitely different from Phoenix, but not really a bad different. Here it's wet and quiet while over there it was arid, and overcrowded."

"How are you still so pale?" Why were they asking her all these questions? Was this the general way that people got to know each other? From Bella's experience it was always offer information and then receive some in return. Ordinaries were strange…

"It's genetic. Couldn't tan to save my life," Bella easily joked. By the Blue Lady, she wished that Ben was with her right now. She didn't like being the center of attention around people she didn't know, though it did come with the job sometimes. Then finally something she'd been waiting for, a distraction.

Five of the palest and most beautiful creatures walked into the cafeteria, one of which was Alice Cullen and another one, Bella guessed, was Emmett, though she didn't know what he looked like exactly.

Bella let her gaze follow the graceful creatures as they walked to an empty table near the window carrying trays but then not once eating or drinking what was on it.

"I see you've caught sight of the Cullens," Mike said. Bella looked towards Mike and nodded urging him to say more.

"Yeah Alice is in my English Class, we sit beside each other. Who are the others?"

Jessica pointed each one of them out; the drop dead gorgeous blond as Rosalie Hale, the chiseled, curly haired man beside her as Emmett Cullen, the other blond with wavy hair going to his ear lobes as Jasper Hale, Rosalie's twin, and finally the bronze haired God as Edward Cullen.

"It's weird they're all together… like together together. Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Alice, all except for Edward, but I wouldn't bother with him; apparently none of the girls here are good enough for him."

Bella shrugged and said, "Maybe he's gay. I mean he is a pretty boy after all." Right after she finished her sentence she heard laughter coming from the Cullen table, or more specifically Emmett. Meanwhile Edward was looking quite flustered, though there was no sign of it on his cheeks; more back up to the fact that they have super hearing or more generally, not human.

"So, why did you call them Cullens before? Two of them are Hales right?"

"Yeah, the Hales are Dr. and Mrs. Cullens foster kids while the Cullens are their adopted ones," Eric explained cutting off Mike who was just about to do the same thing. Bella ignored the weird rivalry between the two and continued on with her prying.

"They must be nice taking in so many kids…"

"Yeah but I hear that Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids," Jessica said haughtily, showing her evil side.

"Jessica!" Angela hissed obviously not liking what Jessica said about Mrs. Cullen. Bella watched the Cullens using her peripherals and saw that they had all tensed too. 'Yep definitely super hearing,' Bella thought.

"What?" Jessica asked defensively. "It's not like it isn't true."

"Jessica… it doesn't matter if Mrs. Cullen can't have children. I bet she loves her adopted and foster children just like they were her own, just as much as your own parents love you, maybe even more. Family isn't dictated by blood you know," Bella said calmly but with an edge to her voice unable to stand Jessica's presence for much longer. She didn't hate the girl, she was just immature like most of the other kids in this school, but that's the way it generally was on the outside world.

"I'll see you guys in gym or in bio if you have it. See you later," Bella said as she took her tray with her now cleaned off plates and placed it with the other dirty trays. She then headed off to her bio class to be alone with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>"This Bella chick is kinda interesting… for a human," Emmett Cullen said as the Cullens saw her shock Jessica, the gossip of the school, into silence.<p>

"Like it really matters? If she gets too interested in our family then I'll teach her a lesson about minding her own business myself," Rosalie put in her view indignantly.

"Bella's a nice girl," Alice added.

"Are you forgetting that we can't expose ourselves to them? You know what would happen wouldn't you?" Rosalie argued almost becoming hysterical.

"Of course Hun and that won't happen, she's just a human. It's not like we're going to tell her our deep dark secret," Emmett comforted his wife. They kissed which worked in calming the blond down.

As the other Cullens talked about the new girl, Bella, Edward became more annoyed and frustrated.

Finally Jasper couldn't take his emotions any longer, "Brother, what's bothering you?"

"I can't hear her… I can't hear that guy Ben either. Back at the parking lot I thought it was just a fluke since there were so many people and I wasn't actually focusing on hearing their thoughts but now when I did focus on them, I hear nothing… absolutely nothing."

"What do you mean nothing?" Emmett asked, not because he didn't understand what it meant, but because nothing like this had ever happened before.

"Maybe she's brain dead," Rosalie mumbled earning her a glare from Edward.

"It's like they're there… but not there. I can see them, smell them, but I can't hear their thoughts. It's just a blank space," he explained more still glaring at Rosalie. This worried the others a lot, well all except for Alice.

"Strange… Maybe its connected to how I only see them as blurs in my visions," Alice mused.

For the second time that day Alice's siblings all turned to look at her confused.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier? They could be threats to our existence!" Rosalie somehow screeched quietly.

Emmett laughed at this in disbelief, "They're only humans Rose, just like you said. They can't hurt us."

"Are you certain Emmett? They don't exactly smell like normal humans. And now we know that Edward's and Alice's powers both don't work on them correctly. There is a definite possibility that the new students are a threat to our family," Jasper deduced ever the cautious and strategic Cullen out of their family.

Rosalie looked extremely pleased with herself once Jasper backed her up, while Emmett still doubted the idea.

"They're not a threat. Or… at least they will not harm us," Alice interjected causing the tension to dissipate.

"Even so. I'd like to know their purpose here. People like them who are rich, from what I can tell with their rides, and beautiful don't just move into a small town like this. Take us for example," Jasper said still seeing the need to be cautious despite Alice's visions. No one spoke against his words though Alice remained unaffected by them.

* * *

><p>Ben, who had sat at a table closer to the Cullens, had heard their entire exchange and frowned. So their suspicions were right; the Cullens were not human. What were they exactly though? They had powers, but none like the transgenics… The can hear thoughts… and have visions of the future? That was a powerful ability to have. He and Bella would have to be wary, though it didn't seem as if the Cullens had any idea what they were which means that they had the advantage in Intel. Too bad they had the advantage in numbers…<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** More Cullen action for everyone =D


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or Twilight

Summary: What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. X5-481, Bella, is the first to try out a new regiment where soldiers are free to be outside of the facility but they must still perform their duties as a soldier (go on missions). PS None of the bad encounters with Lydecker happened (Prodigy and Cold Comfort did happen).

_**Chapter 7: Lauren**_

It was just her luck; Bella had once again been assigned as the seating partner of a Cullen, Edward to be specific. Unlike Alice however, who was nice and cheerful, Edward seemed to hate her guts and she didn't even know why.

She was sitting in the classroom minding her own business when he entered and then looked at her hatefully with his black eyes, which she added to her list of non-human traits as he and the rest of his family had topaz coloured eyes during lunch. He walked up to her and just glared… so Bella thought she was in his seat.

When she got up however, he stopped her. "That's the only free seat in the class," he said. He then proceeded to walk past her and sit next to her. What a weirdo.

Thankfully all they were doing that class was take notes so she didn't have to act like she wasn't sitting next to a psycho. He had glared at her during the entire class for God's sake! She was surprised that the teacher didn't call him out. Bella couldn't have been happier when finally Bio ended. Just as the bell rang, Edward rushed out of the class at a speed that was too fast for a human, he even blurred a little.

'Okay… let's add inhuman speed to the list…' Bella thought as she gathered her items and then headed to gym, the last class of the day. This was really the only class she was looking forward to because Ben was in this class.

Bella quickly changed in the girls' locker room and then headed out to the gymnasium where she sat on the bleachers waiting for Ben to come out of the boys' locker room. She didn't have to wait long as he came out a minute later.

"Hey baby girl, are you up for some ass kicking?" Ben asked as he came to sit beside her on the bleachers.

"You know… it's the weirdest thing. I was about to ask you the same question."

"In your dreams baby girl," Ben said as the coach came in blowing his whistle. They both got up and joined the semi circle that the other juniors and seniors formed around the coach.

"Alright boys and girls, today we're starting a new unit: volleyball. First split yourself up into competitive and non-competitive then I will start making the teams."

Bella smirked as did Ben as they immediately joined the competitive side. Most of the boys, including the Cullen males, joined the competitive side too. Bella, Alice, Rosalie, Jessica and some girl name Lauren were the only girls on the competitive side.

The coach began splitting them up into teams and somehow Bella and Ben had ended up on the same team along with Mike, Eric, Lauren and some senior named Josh.

"Guess I won't be kicking your ass today," Bella whispered to Ben as they got into their positions on the court. Like the transgenics they were, they kicked ass even if they were down-playing their abilities. Too bad the only other person who was actually capable of playing was Josh; the other three just seemed to want to try to show off by joining the competitive side.

Mike was scared of the ball and Eric was horrible at hand-eye co-ordination, but at least they actually tried to help and gave it their best effort. Lauren, on the other hand, just stood on the court, looked at her nails, got in her team's way and cheered on the guys, or her version of it at least. She was throwing herself at them and flirted with them without digress. It was sickening to watch.

The coach had noticed it too, hell the entire gym had noticed it, and he finally had enough of her not participating. "Lauren, you're serving once your team gets the ball back," he said in a voice that held no room for back-talk. Bella liked the coach in that he actually knew what he was doing and was straight to the point, no pretending to be nice when you're ordering people around like her damned English teacher.

Bella caught Ben's eyes just as the server on the other team hit the ball. They had a silent agreement to shut it down fast and that's exactly what they did. Bella calculated the trajectory of the ball taking into account its spin and air resistance and then placed herself in position to set the ball for Ben who then spiked the ball so hard and fast that there was no way for the other team to bring it back.

"Looks like you're serving now Lauren," Coach Betestin said with a sadistic smile. The man really did remind her of some of the DI's back at Manticore, which was strangely a comforting thought.

Lauren looked appalled as if she didn't actually believe he was going to make her do this. "Coach B, please understand that it is extremely expensive to keep my nails in perfect condition, so could you please just let one of my teammates serve."

By now everyone in the gym had stopped to look at the scene unfolding before them.

"Miss Mallory, you will serve the ball or I will see to it that your already low mark in gym becomes a fail. Do you understand?" Lauren seemed to get that there was no changing the Coach B's mind and so turned to someone who she thought would help her.

"Josh, please babe, don't let me fail. The coach likes you so please convince him not to give me an F," Lauren begged as she clung onto Josh's arm with no disgrace.

Disgust was plain on Josh's face as he tore his arm away from her, "If you don't want to fail then serve the ball Lauren."

Lauren would not listen though as she continued to plead for assistance that no one was willing to give her. "Please Josh, I'm begging you. I'm just a girl; I can't play as well as a big strong man like you."

"Open your eyes Lauren. Bella's one of the best players in this entire gymnasium. If you thought you didn't want to play then why the hell didn't you go over to the non-competitive teams?"

Hearing Bella's name seemed to become a fuel in Lauren's eyes as they became filled with rage. She huffed indignantly before grabbing the volleyball from Mike's hands (he had picked it up earlier) and then got in the position to serve.

"Finally, get back to your games people or you'll get zeroes for today!" Coach B barked out making everyone turn their attention away from Bella's team, though at the corner of their eyes they were all still watching.

Lauren seemed to be hyperventilating as she took deep breaths - this was apparently her way of preparing herself to serve. She threw the ball up into the air planning to do an overhand serve and was about to hit it with all her might, but then at the last moment she remembered her nails and put on the breaks hitting the ball pathetically. The resulting serve didn't even reach the net; a 5 year-old could have done better.

"Oh no, I broke a nail," the girl wailed as she cradled her right hand with her left one. Was this girl stupid or what? Honestly Bella couldn't stand her, but then maybe it was just because she didn't understand her. Still, Bella just wanted this whole damn thing to end which was why she wanted Lauren to serve in the first place.

"What the hell's your problem?" Bella asked as she retrieved the volleyball from where it stopped rolling. "Do you want to fail?" Bella threw the ball to Lauren extremely gently but Lauren had to be a drama queen and acted as if it was a speeding bullet, even though Bella threw it underhand.

"Of course I don't want to fail!" Lauren said glaring at Bella.

"Then please just serve. You should probably serve underhand; you have less chance of breaking a nail doing that than if you serve overhand," Bella suggested sincerely trying to get the girl through this whole ordeal.

Unfortunately Lauren saw this as Bella mocking her and so when Bella turned around to face the other team, Lauren decided it would be a good idea to throw the ball right at the back of Bella's head. As she as she had raised the ball over her head to throw it, Bella heard Lauren's intentions and looked at Ben telling him to just let it happen. Lauren really needed to be taught a lesson and maybe getting suspended would do that. Besides it's not like the pathetic girl could hurt Bella anyways.

A certain someone disagreed with letting the ball hit its target so when Lauren threw the ball at Bella's head he came to the rescue rushing the court next to theirs. "Lauren, you're not supposed to be throwing balls at your teammate," Bella's knight in pale armour said.

Not recognizing the voice that belonged to the guy who had 'saved' her, Bella turned around to see that it was Edward. What the hell was he doing? He hated her, right? Why the hell did he stop the volleyball from hitting her?

"Miss Mallory into my office, NOW!" Coach B yelled out. A frightened Lauren followed the enraged coach into his office, not that it did much help. Everyone in the gym heard that Lauren was to go to the Principal's office where her parents would be notified of her behaviour.

"What is everyone looking at? Clean everything up then go change. Class is done for today," Coach B growled out as he exited his office followed by a distraught girl. The two left the gym probably to go to the principle's office. Everyone jumped to action even though their teacher wasn't there anymore; he just had that kind of effect on them.

During clean up Bella tried to talk to Edward about his weird mood swings but he avoided her like the plague. He really was starting to grate on her nerves.

Deciding to corner him later, Bella went into the locker room and finished changing just as the last bell of the day rang. She took her stuff and walked out to see that Ben was already outside leaning on the hallway. How did guys always change so fast anyways?

The two walked quickly to the office where they dropped of their slips and then headed to the parking lot. The entire time Bella and Ben exchanged the information they found out about the Cullens using eye signals and eye movements so they weren't overheard.

At the parking lot they saw the five Cullens gathered around the silver Volvo about to leave. There was no way they were going to leave yet without Bella getting some answers. She told Ben to wait up for her at their rides before walking right up to the Cullens with her Manticore mask firmly in place. She stopped right in front of Edward Cullen; his eyes were once again topaz in colour though much darker than his siblings'.

"Edward, I need to talk to you."

Edward motioned her to start talking not caring that his siblings were going to hear. If he didn't care then he was probably going to tell them later anyways.

"What's your problem? In bio class you glare at me for the entire hour and then in gym class you actually save me from getting hit on the head by Lauren and then you go and avoid me like the plague. Do you have multiple personality disorder or something? Or is it just me that you act all crazy around?"

"That's none of your business little girl," Rosalie growled moving to push Bella away, but she was stopped by Edward.

"Let's go guys," he said turning around and totally ignoring Bella. His siblings seemed to look at him confused but one look from Edward and they were moving into the car.

"Fine whatever! Keep your little secret if you want but keep me out of it!" Bella walked away from the Cullens still keeping her emotions under wraps. She was ready to explode on the inside but her Manticore training would not allow her to do so.

"Did you hear everything?" Bella mumbled to Ben not wanting the Cullens to overhear. A nod from Ben confirmed that he had indeed heard her confrontation with the Cullens.

Knowing it wasn't safe to discuss this further out in the open Bella straddled her ride and turned her baby on. She rode out of the parking lot with Ben in tow towards the home they shared. Right now what she needed was a good hard work out to de-stress herself from everything that happened that day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> God I'm so sorry this is so late. It's been forever since I last updated but I finally got the next chapter up! I was re-reading this and I just realized that Ben sorta acts like Morgan from Criminal Minds. It's totally a coincidence since I had never watched a single episode of CM until after I wrote this. Anyways, I hope this was worth the wait. XD


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